1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multi-panel fabric elements such as draperies, curtains or bedspreads and to multi-panel linings for use therewith, and more particularly, to improved multi-panel fabric elements and the method for producing them in which the edges of the plurality of panels which make up the elements are joined by fusing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multi-panel fabric elements are known in the prior art and may be used as draperies, curtains or bedspreads, or as linings for use therewith. The types of fabrics which may be used to construct fabric elements include woven textiles, knits, or non-woven materials or any other appropriate fabric, depending on the desired quality and intended use of the finished product. The finished fabric element is constructed of a plurality of individual panels of the fabric, generally cut from a commercially produced length of the fabric.
Normally, the panels are sewed together along the lengthwise edges to form the finished product. The edges may be folded back behind the plane of the panel before sewing, or simply overlapped depending on the type of finished product which is being manufactured. However, joining the panels by sewing requires the need for highly skilled labor, operating expensive commercial sewing equipment. Since the equipment is expensive and since even during normal production the skilled laborers are highly paid, the price of the finished product is increased accordingly. Furthermore, the equipment is susceptible to normal wear and tear and break downs, increasing production costs due to the expense of routine maintenance, replacement and repair, and also due to lost manufacturing time in which idle employees must be paid. Finally, sewing thread also increases the cost of the finished product.
Furthermore, sewing of the panels results in other disadvantages depending upon the particular finished product which is being manufactured. For example, blackout draperies or blackout drapery linings are used by hotels and motels in order to ensure that guest rooms can be maintained substantially dark at all times of the day. Draperies or drapery linings are generally made of a woven textile substrate, or of inexpensive non-woven substrates. The substrate may also be coated, for example, with one or more layers of an acrylic latex based compound, or may be treated with resins such as water repellent, or with fire-retardant materials, or with selected combinations. If the drapery or lining is to be used to blackout a room, at least one opaque layer is applied, for example, an opaque layer may be created by mixing an acrylic with a black pigment such as carbon black to provide the blackout effect. The coated substrate is manufactured in commercial rolls generally having a length of 100-200 yards and a width of 48"-68", although the rolls may be manufactured in any desired length or width. The blackout coating is applied throughout one surface, such that usually an uncoated edge or selvage which is typically 3/8"-5/8" remains on either side throughout the length of the substrate. That is, a cross-section along the width of the substrate includes an uncoated selvage, the coated region, and a second uncoated selvage.
In order to manufacture a drapery or lining of appropriate size, a plurality of panels are cut from the coated substrate such that the length of each panel is identically equal to a predetermined length, for example, the approximate height of the window with which the drapery or lining is to be used. The selvages of each panel are folded over so as to be angled to the plane of the panel, and the selvage of one panel is placed adjacent to a selvage of an adjacent panel. The selvages are sewed together at a location near the plane of the panel to create the finished drapery or lining. The number of panels used to make one finished product is based on a predetermined width, for example, a width sufficient to extend across the window with allowance for any pleatings or hems which are used.
Blackout elements created by this method not only suffer from the drawback of large production costs as discussed above, but also suffer from a degradation of the blackout effect due to the needle holes penetrating the panels. The penetrating light creates a "dancing" or "sparkling" effect and is projected onto the opposed face of the drapery material, or into the room itself if the finished product is not a lining but the drapery itself. It is therefore desired to overcome the deficiencies such as increased cost and degraded blackout effect encountered in the use of sewing to join panels together.